Not What It Seems
by Ghostwriter
Summary: One of Sam's premonitions leads them to an orphanage, where Dean finds out that Sam's been keeping things from him.
1. Running

NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

DISCLAIMER

Takes place directly after "Scarecrow". Written for P.L. Winter's fanfic challenge. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Deals with physical abuse, so if you have prior experience with this, you may want to bow out now. Story kinda came about from my twisted mind wondering why Sam slept with his clothes on, even in a motel, and Dean didn't. Evansville, Kentucky is a real place, though I don't know anything about it. I made up the name of the orphanage.

CHAPTER ONE: RUNNING

STREETLAND'S HOME FOR ORPHANS, EVANSVILLE, KENTUCKY

The sixteen-year old girl quietly opened the window and climbed out. Silently, she grabbed her duffel bag and pulled it through. Hearing footsteps echoe throughout the building, she took off. Moments later, a middle-aged came up to the room and looked through the window. Her cold, gray eyes flashed even more spookily in the moon-lit night.

"Run away again, has she?" she muttered. "Well, no matter. We'll get her back. We always do," she continued. With that, she backed away from the window and closed it sharply. Meanwhile, the girl was still running. She couldn't get caught again. She was sick of this place. She wasn't going to stay here any longer and no one could make her. No one! A few miles later, she began to pant. _No. I can't get tired now_, she thought to herself. She just---she just had to keep going. That's all she had to do. Just keep going. She blew out a breath and quickened her pace. Suddenly, she felt somebody grab her.

"No! No!" she screamed, struggling to get away.

"Running away again, little Anna?" a male voice asked knowingly.

"Let me go!" Anna screamed.

"You're such a predictable little girl. All I had to do was wait until you came out here," the man continued with a derisive chuckle. With that, he dragged Anna---who was still kicking and screaming---back to the orphanage. He took her inside, and shut the entrance. However, you could still hear Anna's screams.


	2. Premonition

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Takes place directly after "Scarecrow". I only own the plot which is for the challenge posted by P.L. Winter. Deals with physical abuse.

_**A window that had a hard-looking middle-aged woman staring from the inside. A young blond girl running. **_

"No. Got to get away," Sam Winchester moaned. **_A scruffy-looking man, waiting. _**

"Look out. He's waiting," Sam muttered. **_The girl continued to run. Suddenly, the man grabbed her! _**From the seat of his '67 Chevy Impala, Dean Winchester looked at his brother, who was thrashing in the passenger seat. What on earth was he dreaming about? **_The blond girl continued to scream as she was dragged back to the building that she had run from_**. Sam made a noise of distress. Then, he began kicking the floor as if acting out whatever he was dreaming.

"Hey. Easy on my car," Dean complained. However, Sam didn't seem to hear him. **_The girl kicked, screamed, and struggled as the man approached the building. _**

****"Let go. Don't wanna go back," Sam stated defiantly.**_ Its sign loomed ominously. STREETLAND'S HOME FOR ORPHANS, it read. The door banged shut._**

"No!" Sam gasped, bolting up.

"You all right?" he asked. The younger brother shook his head.

"What happened?" was the next question. Sam blew out a shaky breath. Dean waited until Sam had composed himself.

"What? What is it?" he asked in concern.

"I think I just had a premonition," came the answer.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I know the series didn't say that Sam became a part or acted out the dreams. I just thought it'd be a neat twist.


	3. Information

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DISCLAIMER

Belongs to the WB. Takes place directly after "Scarecrow". Anything you don't recognize is mine.

A few minutes later, Sam and Dean were at a hotel and searching the newspapers for the place Sam had seen in his dreams.

"Are you sure about the place's name, Sammy?" Dean asked after a while.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Sam responded. "And I don't know how many times I've got to tell you it's Sam," he corrected. Dean just rolled his eyes and returned to the search. Then, he let out a frustrated groan.

"There's nothing here," he stated.

"I'm tellin' you, the place is called _Streetland's Home for Orphans_," Sam insisted.

"And I'm tellin' **you**, there's nothing here," Dean shot back. Sam looked at their newspapers and frowned. Why couldn't they find anything? Then, it dawned on him.

"Wait a minute. We were just checkin' the local area. But what if it's somewhere else?" he asked. Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the laptop and booted it up. Then, he went on-line and typed in the name of the orphanage.

"What've you got?" Dean queried.

"It's an orphanage in Evansville, Kentucky and a bunch of kids have run away," Sam replied. _Not that I can blame them. It looks more like a prison than an orphanage_, he thought to himself, staring at a picture of the place.

"Yeah, so?" Dean questioned, frowning. What was Sammy getting at?

"So...some of them haven't been heard from again," Sam responded. The brothers looked at each other. Kids running away? Not being heard from again? It sounded like their kind of gig.

"It looks like we're going to Kentucky," Dean stated. With that, they packed up their things, paid the manager, and walked to the Impala. They got into the vehicle, where Dean started the engine and they headed for Kentucky.


	4. At Streetland's

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DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. I only own anything and anyone you guys don't recognize.

A few hours later, the boys entered the Kentucky border.

"So, what was the address again?" Dean queried. Sam gave the address and Dean continued until he found the place. The brothers stared at the forbidding estate.

"Man, I **hate** these type of places," Sam whispered. Hearing the soft statement, Dean glanced at his brother in confusion. When had Sam ever been in one of these places?

"Dude, you okay?" Dean asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," Sam lied as Dean grabbed a couple of fake I.Ds and tossing one to hos brother. They walked up to the front door and Sam knocked on the door. It was opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with brown hair that was starting to gray and cold, gray eyes.

"May I help you?" she questioned in a clipped tone. Sam felt his body tense and he had to fight the urge to take a step back.

"Hi. I'm Detective Drew, this is my partner, Officer Hardy," Dean said, flashing his badge.

"Yes. What do you want?" the woman queried.

"Our deparment heard that you've had some problems and we were told to look into it," Dean told her.

"Whatever you've heard is a lie. I run a tight ship here," she responded.

"Yeah, I bet," Sam muttered dourly. Both Dean and the woman turned towards him.

"You're a very rude young man, aren't you?" the latter asked.

"You'll have to excuse him. He recently flunked the detective's exam, so he's in a bad mood," the older of the brothers said smoothly.

"Hmm. I see," the woman grunted. Dean flashed her a smile.

"So, uh, our reports say you've had problems with runaways?" he questioned.

"A few of our kids **have** run off, but they always come back," was the response.

"Willingly or unwillingly?" Sam asked. Again, Dean turned to his brother. What was up with him? He wasn't being the respectful little college boy he usually was. He was being downright nasty.

"I don't really like your tone young man," the woman snapped. Sam's stared at her stonily, but Dean saw his brother's Adam apple wobble, a sure sign that he was afraid. His brow furrowed in confusion. What was wrong? Before Dean could question Sam, there came a scream.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

You'll find out the reason for Sam's under the breath comment and actions later in the story.


	5. Out Of Our League

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DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Takes place directly after "Scarecrow". Evansville, Kentucky's a real place, though I've made up the name of the orphanage.

Immediately, Sam and Dean turned in the direction of the scream. A girl came running down the stairs, with a man brandishing a whip chasing after her. The girl quickly hid behind Sam. The man started for her, only to be intercepted by the younger Winchester.

"**Don**'**t** touch her," Sam snarled, grabbing the man's wrist in a vice-like grip.

"That little brat mouthed off," the man accused.

"So you're gonna whip her? I don't think so, freak," Sam snarled again. Dean stared at his brother in shock. He had never seen Sammy like this.

"Young man, this is **my** establishment and I say what goes on around here," the woman told Sam. Dean turned to her.

"You condone this?" he asked.

"She's the worst," the girl behind Sam spoke up.

"Lizzie, what have I told you about speaking?" the woman demanded. Sam could feel the girl shaking.

"You're a witch. These kids trust you and you just hurt them," Sam shot back. Without warning, the woman reared back and arm and swung! The impact of the slap caused Sam to let the man go.

"Why, you---" With a growl, Sam started to lunge.

"Sammy!" Dean cried, restraining his brother.

"I would advise you two to leave," the woman snapped.

"No! Don't leave us here!" Lizzie cried fearfully. Sam turned around and knelt down so that they were eye-to-eye.

"We'll come back. I promise," he told her. She flung her arms around him and he held her tightly. Then, reluctantly, both let go of each other and Sam followed Dean out of the orphanage, where they got into the Impala and headed for a hotel. Sam was silent the whole way and didn't even say a word as they checked in and brought their belongings into the hotel room. Dean looked at his brother, and then sighed.

"Okay, what is it?" he demanded.

"We never should've left those kids there," came the answer.

"Sammy---" Dean began to say.

"You saw what that man was going to do to that girl and how terrified she was! And that woman didn't even **try** to stop it!" Sam shouted.

"Sammy, this is out of our league. This isn't like hunting down a werewolf or a spirit. This is a problem for the police," Dean said calmly.

"They'll never find any evidence! That man and woman have those kids scared to death!" Sam cried.

"Sammy, there's not much we can do," Dean stated. He stared at his brother, wondering why he was freaking out.

"Man, you're just like everybody else," Sam scoffed incredulously. "Those kids are in danger, and you don't even care!" he accused.

"Now wait a minute! I **never** said I didn't care!" Dean shouted, getting angry himself.

"Then why aren't you doing anything?" Sam demanded.

"Because I told you: it's out of our league! We need to take this to the professionals!" Dean shouted.

"And what if they don't believe the kids, huh? Have you even thought of that?" Sam tossed back. Dean blew out an irritated breath and messed up his hair with his hands.

"You are being such a such a punk," he snapped. Enraged, Sam grabbed Dean's shirt and shoved him against the wall.

"Don't call me that," he said thickly.

"Sammy," the older man said in surprise. Somewhat shocked, Sam let Dean go.

"Dean, I---I'm sorry. I---I didn't mean---" he stammered.

"What's going on with you, Sam? Why are you acting this way?" Dean demanded. Sam's throat constricted and he averted his gaze. Dean stared piercingly, his arms folded in his classic "I'm waiting" stance.

"Because---" Sam licked his lips nervously. _Oh, man. I can't believe I'm gonna admit this_, he thought to himself.

"Because why?" Dean prodded. Sam finally looked at his brother and the pain in his eyes caught the older man off-guard.

"I know how those kids feel," he whispered. Dean froze.


	6. Confession

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

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DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Takes place after "Scarecrow". Evansville, Kentucky is a real place. Anyone or anything you don't recognize is mine.

"Come again?" Dean asked.

"I know how they feel. That fear," Sam repeated.

"Sammy, you're not saying that Dad---" Dean faltered. He couldn't believe what he was even asking. It was their dad for crying out loud.

"What? No! Of course not. He never laid a hand on me," Sam responded. Yeah, their father was a hard and strict son of a gun, but he was anything but abusive.

"Then, who?" Dean wondered.

"You remember when I was fourteen the three weeks I stayed in a group home 'cuz one of the teachers reported Dad to social services?" Sam reminded him.

"Yeah. Dad was ticked," Dean said, not understanding at first. Then it clicked. _No. They wouldn't. They're supposed to protect kids_, his mind denied. However, the look on his brother's face was all the truth he needed. Sam's throat muscles tightened and he let out a soft grunt.

"I got beat...all the time. And there was this one guy..." it was Sam's turn to trail off.

"What?" Dean asked. "Sammy, what is it?" he queried. Sam closed his eyes, trying to will away the coming memory. However, his mind didn't obey his silent wish.

_**"You stupid little punk!" the man yelled. He grabbed Sam and threw him across the room. As he approached, he raised an arm. The whip loomed---**_

"Sammy, what'd he do to you?" Dean's gentle but firm question broke through Sam's reverie.

"I---I---" Sam's voice cracked.

"Okay. It's okay, Sammy. You don't have to tell me," Dean assured, drawing his brother into a hug. Yeah, he hated having chick-flick moments, but his big brother training told him that this was a time where Sam needed to be comforted. And above all else, that's what Dean was. Sam let out a shaky breath. Then, he leaned towards his brother's ear as if telling a secret.

"He---he whipped me," he confessed. Dean inhaled sharply.

"Dad ever know?" came the question.

"I never told," was the answer. Dean's throat constricted, and behind Sam's back, his hands made fists. Someone---some **creep**---had abused his baby brother. Somone had scared him so bad that he couldn't even get up the courage to tell their father. Someone had hurt Sammy so bad that they had scared him into silence.

"Didn't you ever try to fight back?" Dean wondered.

"Got it worse," Sam answered. "Dean, this guy---he---he got off on it. He **liked** it," he continued. Dean's Adam's Apple wobbled. _Aw, dang it, Sammy. You shoulda told us_, he thought to himself.

"You should've told us," Dean stated out loud.

"Are you crazy? He said he'd kill me," Sam protested. Feeling a lump in his throat, Sam choked down a sob.

"Was that all he threatened to do?" Dean queried. Sam froze. "Sammy? What else did he threaten to do?" the older man continued. Sam remained quiet. "Sammy, come on. What else did he say he'd do?" came the prompt. Sam's silence freaked Dean out. _Please. Please don't say you were molested, please don't say you were molested_, he thought frantically.

"He said that---that---" Sam struggled within himself.

"He said that---what?" Dean prompted again.

"That he'd kill you and Dad, and that I'd always have to stay there," Sam admitted. Dean almost sobbed relief. Sammy hadn't been molested, thank God.

"Is that all? We woulda dropped him before he even had a chance to touch us," he stated.

"I---I wasn't sure. I---" Sam had to choke back a sob.

"Ssssshhhhhh, sssssshhhhh, sssssshhhhh," Dean shushed. "It's okay, Sammy. You're not gonna get hurt again. And we'll figure out what to do about the kids. I promise," he continued. Sam sniffled. Dean pulled away.

"Look, why don't you go take a nap, and I'll do some more research on the 'Net?" he gently suggested. Sam silently nodded and went to the bed. As he did so, Dean pulled the laptop from Sam's bag and booted it up. As his fingers flew over the keys, Dean's dark eyes raged thunderously. He now had a new purpose for taking these freaks down. He had seen how scared those kids had been, and Sammy's frightened face during his confession had freaked him out. He wasn't going to let anybody else be that scared anymore.


	7. Promise

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

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DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Takes place directly after "Scarecrow". Evansville, Kentucky is a real place, although I've made up the orphanage. Anything else you don't recognize is mine.

Two laters, Dean stretched his arms into the air. He moaned tiredly and then yawned. He had spent more time on the internet than he had ever had before. He rubbed his eyes and stared at the screen. He hadn't been able to find one thing on Streetland's. A moan caused Dean to turn around. On the bed, Sam groaned.

"Sammy?" the older Winchester asked.

"No," Sam moaned. He tensed, as if waiting for something. _Aw, man. He's dreamin' about what happened to him_, Dean realized. He hurried to the bed.

"Sammy," he said, kneeling beside the bed.

"No. No, please," the younger man begged. He began to thrash about.

"Sam---Sammy," his brother said, touching his arm. Sam lashed out with a fist, but Dean quickly intercepted the attack.

"Whoa. Easy, Tiger," he said as Sam jerked awake.

"Dean?" his brother asked.

"Bad dream?" Dean quered.

"Way to state the obvious," Sam declared.

"Wanna talk about it?" Dean offered. Sam shook his head.

"Unh-uh," he grunted.

"You sure?" Dean asked again. This resulted in the same answer.

"All right. Don't say I never offered," he told him. Sam just grunted. Then, "Did you find anything?"

"No," Dean replied. "They're like---totally clean," he continued. Sam let out a frustrated groan.

"Don't worry, Sammy. We'll get 'em," Dean promised. The younger man let out a shaky breath.

"Yeah? Yeah? We'll get 'em?" Sam asked, sounding very much like a little boy.

"Yeah, Sammy. We'll get 'em," Dean promised. He moved to the bed to sit by his brother. Then, he put an arm around his brother.


	8. Running And Speaking Up

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DISCLAIMER

First of all, sorry this took so long. I came down with a nasty cold, which I'm **still** fighting. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Takes place directly after "Scarecrow". Evansville, Kentucky is a real place, though I've made up _Streetland_'_s_. Anything or anybody you don't recongize is mine.

Later that night, a window opened and Anna climbed out. She walked a few paces, then broke into a run. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean were walking quietly in the woods.

"Sam, you sure about this?" Dean whispered, as they shined their flashlights on the path.

"Yeah. Everything looks just like it did in my dream," Sam responded.

"Okay. I trust ya," Dean stated. Normally, that would've segued into a smart remark, but not now. Not after the Asylum.

"Thanks," Sam said softly. He smiled, his expression looking especially boyish in the moonlight. They continued to walk around. Suddenly, Sam tapped Dean on the arm. Puzzled, the older man followed his brother's gaze.

"There's the guy," Sam stated.

"All right. I'll take care of him. You go see if you can find the girl of dreams," Dean smirked. Sam whacked his brother on the shoulder. Laughing softly, Dean walked off. He tapped the guy on the shoulder, then punched him out when he turned around. Meanwhile, Sam had just come into earshot of running feet. _It's gotta be one of the kids_, he thought to himself. The blonde one. What was her name? Sam racked his brain, trying to remember if he had ever gotten it. However, nothing came to him. While this was going on, Anna was intent on getting away from _Streetland_'_s_ as fast as she could. So intent, in fact, that she failed to notice the man in front of her. As soon as she had bumped into him, Sam put a hand over the girl's mouth to keep her from screaming.

"It's okay. It's okay. I've come to make sure you and your friends aren't ever hurt again," Sam quickly whispered. Anna stared at the young man in front of him.

"Aren't you---" she began to ask.

"Officer Hardy? Yeah," Sam interrupted. "Let's go. There's not much time," he continued. With that, they took off to where Dean was.

"Dean? I've found the girl," Sam whispered.

"Good job, Sam," Dean responded. "I took care of her little friend," he told them. Sam and Anna's gazes turned to the ground where they saw the man from the orphanage out cold, gagged, and tied up.

"You've been busy," Sam commented.

"Yeah well, I figured, 'Why not?'," Dean responded.

"W--wait a minute. You're not cops. Who are you guys?" Anna wondered.

"People who are gonna make sure that you and your friends never get hurt again," Dean answered. With that, he offered a hand. She took it, but was unable to stop the hiss of pain at the contact.

"Sorry," Dean apologized.

"It's okay. It only hurts a little," Anna answered.

"Let's get her to the cops," Sam said.

"Yeah. Good idea," Anna agreed. Sam and Dean gently guided the girl to the Impala. Then, they headed for town. Inside the car, Sam wrapped an old blanket around her.

"Where'd you get this?" she wondered.

"Dad used it for when we'd go up to the snow for winter vacation. The truck's heater was a bit iffy," Sam responded.

"Thanks," Anna smiled.

"No problem," Sam answered.

"So, if you guys aren't cops, who are you?" Anna queried.

"I'm Sam Winchester. This is my brother Dean," Sam responded.

"Nice to meet you," Dean stated. She nodded in agreement.

"I---I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but...why are you helping me when you don't even know me?" Anna asked.

"'Cuz I know how you feel," Sam answered. "When I was fourteen, my dad and I had this stupid fight---I don't even remember what it was about---but, uh, I got mad, refused to listen to him," he began. That was a lie in itself. Sam remembered all too well what they had been fighting about. He had wanted to try out for the local football team and his dad had hit the roof. "And then this guy broke in, beat me up, and Dad chased him off," Sam told her. Another lie. Well, sort of. True, Sam had been injured, but it wasn't by a human. It had been a werewolf looking for its next meal. "Well, I went to school the school next day, and the teacher saw me with all these bruises and freaked out. She wouldn't listen to me when I begged her not to say anything. She called social services and I---" here Sam's breath's caught. Dean glanced over his shoulder.

"Sammy, you all right?" he asked in concern.

"I got placed in a group home. It took Dad three weeks to sort everything out," Sam stated, ignoring his brother's question.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Anna wondered.

"Got hit a lot. If it had just been that, I could've dealt, but this one guy..." Again, Sam trailed off.

"What'd he do?" Anna asked.

"Whipped me. The creep got off on it," Sam answered. "He **enjoyed** causing me pain," he continued.

"Did your father ever know?" Anna questioned.

"No. He threatened to kill my dad and Dean if I ever told," Sam answered. Dean's throat muscles constricted. Even though he had already heard the story, it still pained him to listen to it. Then, he noticed a sheriff's department.

"Here we go," he stated. He pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. Together, the trio walked into the building.

"May I help you?" the desk sergeant asked pleasantly. Then, his features became horrified.

"My word," he breathed. Sam and Dean couldn't blame him. In the moonlight, her bruises had looked bad enough, but in actual light, it looked like Anna's face had been hit by a truck.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"Well, you see, it's like this," Anna stated. "I'm one of the kids at _Streetland_'_s_ and..."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Ha, ha, ha, ha. I'm totally evil leaving you guys like this. That's actually a sign that I'm feeling better. There's gonna be one last chapter after this, and then I'm on hiatus due to school.


	9. Endings And Beginnings

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JadeAlmasy: I don't **want** to be sick. And I'm evil whether sick or healthy.

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Takes place directly after "Scarecrow". Last chap. I only own anything and anybody you don't recognize. Here you go guys. Last chap. If I get time during the semester, I plan on a sequel to this.

A few hours later, Sam and Dean watched as officials surrounded _Streetland_'_s Home For Orphans_.

"You think they'll be okay?" Sam queried.

"It must be hard...not knowing who your parents are. And going through all that---**trash**---those people put them through---it did something to them. But I think their lives will slowly---**hopefully**---get better," Dean answered.

"But is it enough?" Sam wondered. Dean sighed.

"Samy...we can't save everybody. Especially from something like this. But we helped save these kids," he said. "Thanks to Anna and her friend's bravery---and **you**---" the older man stressed, "they'll be able to sleep better. And live more productive lives without getting beat," he finished.

"Yeah. You're right," Sam sighed. The woman and the rest of their employees were led out. She glared at Sam, just lifted his head up defiantly and met her gaze. Then, she was put in the squad car. Sam and Dean turned to go, but were stopped by a voice calling their name. They watched as Anna came over to them.

"I don't even know how to begin to thank you," she stated.

"It was nothing," Sam told her.

"It was **everything**," Anna corrected him. "We don't have to live in fear anymore. The police promised to find a new owner for _Streetland_'_s_. Someone **nice**. And we owe it all to you," she continued. Dean had to swallow the sudden lump in his throat.

"We were glad to help," he told her. Anna hugged Sam, who wrapped her in his own embrace. Then, she hugged Dean. At first, he seemed taken aback, but like Sam, he returned the gesture. Then, he reached into his jacket pocket, where he found a piece of paper and a pencil. He down wrote a series of numbers.

"Here. If you or your friends ever need us again, or you just want to talk..." the man trailed off.

"Thank you," Anna said softly, taking the paper. Then, she ran off to her friends. Sam and Dean turned to the Impala. Sam blew out a breath.

"You all right?" Dean queried.

"Just surprised at their strength. Don't think **I** could've done it," Sam confessed.

"Sure you could," Dean answered. He got into the driver's seat as Sam sat beside him. Dean started the ignition.

"Hey, Sammy?" Dean said after awhile.

"Yeah?" Sam queried, not bothering to correct his brother on his name.

"Whenever you're ready to talk about what happened to you...I'll listen," Dean stated. Sam looked at his brother in surprise. However, he remained quiet. He knew that had to have been hard for his brother. But at least he knew. And for right now, being here with Dean was more than enough for Sam.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I know it was uncharacteristic of Dean to give Anna his cell number and for him to offer to talk with Sam, but that was sort of the point. He's been affected by all this. If you or someone you know is being physically abused, call 1-800-4-A-CHILD (2-2-4-4-5-3).


End file.
